Workflow Notifications in FieldEx help your organisation move fast and stay coordinated. Instead of relying on manual follow‑ups, you can deliver the right message to the right people at the right moment whether it’s an assignment, an approval request, a transfer that’s pending, or a completion that needs review. This article gives an overview of how to use notifications as part of your operating process: when to use them, how to route them, and how to keep signal high and noise low.
What Notifications Enable in Your Processes
Faster handoffs: Automatically alert the next owner (planner, approver, technician) as statuses change.
Clear accountability: Each alert ties to a record, with deep links and audit history.
Fewer delays: Remind stakeholders when SLAs are at risk or approvals are pending.
Consistent communication: Standardised messages reduce ambiguity and rework.
Tip: Think of each notification as a process step with a clear owner and a clear next action. If a message doesn’t drive action, it probably isn’t needed. |
When to Use Notifications (By Module)
Use notifications to formalise handoffs and checkpoints across teams. Common patterns include:
Module | Typical Trigger | Who Should Be Notified | Channel | Outcome |
Job Orders | Assigned / Status = Scheduled / Completed | Assigned Technician, Planner Group, QA/Approver | In‑App for assignee; Email for planners/QA | Work starts on time; approvals don’t stall |
Inventory | Transfer Pending / Requisition Approved / Consignment Allocated | Source & Destination Managing Groups, Requestor | In‑App + Email for cross‑team visibility | Custody change is acknowledged and traceable |
Tickets | Priority escalated / SLA at risk | Escalations Group, Account Owner | Email (with context), In‑App for owner | Faster triage; fewer SLA breaches |
Projects / Sites | Milestone achieved / Site readiness issues | Project Manager, Field Lead | Email summary; In‑App for actions | Stakeholders stay aligned without meetings |
Routing & Roles: Getting It to the Right People
Use Groups over individuals: Send to role‑based groups (e.g., “Warehouse A – Managing Group”) so routing survives team changes.
Prefer field‑derived recipients: Target Assigned To, Requestor, or Site Owner fields to keep automations dynamic.
Match channel to urgency: In‑App for actions that must happen now; Email for summaries, external contacts, and audit‑friendly records.
One notification = one action: “Approve now”, “Acknowledge transfer”, “Start job”, “Review completion”.
Why this matters: Clear routing reduces missed alerts and creates a predictable operating rhythm across planners, technicians, and warehouse teams. |
Message Design: Make It Actionable
Lead with the verb: “Approve transfer #{{transfer_no}}” or “Start Job {{job_order_no}}”.
Add the essentials only: record number, site, due time, assignee, status; avoid long paragraphs.
Include a deep link: Navigate directly to the record so users act in one click.
Standardise templates: Consistent wording and placeholders reduce errors and training time.
Governance & Noise Control
Separate “FYI” from “Do now”: Reserve in‑app alerts for actions; move FYIs to periodic email summaries.
Avoid duplicates: If multiple workflows can fire, add conditions (e.g., first status change only).
Respect approval chains: Route inventory and job approvals via the correct Level 1/Level 2 groups.
Audit‑ready content: Email templates should include who, what, when, and a reference ID.
Tip: Start small. Launch a few high‑value alerts (assignment, approval, SLA risk) and expand once adoption is steady. |
Measuring Impact
Lead‑time to start: Assignment → first activity time.
Approval turnaround: Approval request → approval timestamp.
SLA compliance: % of jobs/tickets within SLA pre‑ and post‑automation.
Rework rate: Number of back‑and‑forth messages required per handoff.
Ready‑to‑Use Playbooks
Job Kick‑off: On assign → In‑App to technician (deep link) + Email to planner with start window.
Inventory Custody: On Transfer Pending → In‑App to destination Managing Group; on Fulfilled → Email receipt to requestor.
Completion Gate: On Status = Completed → In‑App to QA group to approve; on Approval → Email summary to stakeholder group.
Escalation Guardrail: If Priority = Critical OR SLA < 2h → Email Escalations Group with record link and last activity.